1.  Listening-the receiving part of the communication process ◦ We only remember 25% of what we hear!  Passive Listening-when the belief that the responsibility comes from the person talking  Active Listening-taking an active role and guiding the speaker

2.  We can actually listen faster than we talk…our brain works faster than our mouth ◦ We listen 6 times as fast as we talk  Listening spare time-the downtime for our brain when someone is speaking (distractions!)

3.  4 ways to listen- ◦ Appreciative listening-listening to something we enjoy ◦ Discriminative listening-singling out a particular sound ◦ Empathic listening-encouraging people to talk freely without judging ◦ Critical listening-evaluating what we hear and determining if the message has value

4.  Bad habits of listening- ◦ Tuning out dull topics ◦ Faking attention ◦ Yielding to distractions ◦ Criticizing physical appearance or delivery ◦ Jumping to conclusions ◦ Overreacting to emotional words ◦ Interrupting

5.  What to do when we don’t agree with someone: ◦ Be patient ◦ Pay close attention to body language ◦ Hold your temper when you disagree ◦ Put yourself in the speaker’s shoes

6.  Listening to a speech: ◦ The Beginning-think about the title and try to make predictions ◦ The Middle-be a critical listener and try to understand the message ◦ The End-watch out for emotional appeals  Testimonials-You should agree because famous people do  False comparisons-comparing unlike things  Bandwagon-Everyone is doing it!

7.  Search for hidden meanings (EARS): ◦ Explore-think ahead of the speaker ◦ Analyze-consider what’s being said ◦ Review-take advantage of spare listening time ◦ Search-for hidden messages

8.  Introductions-remember names, make eye contact, handshake and make a brief comment that includes the person’s name  Accept criticism-Be “coachable” ◦ Keep an open mind ◦ Try to make future improvements, don’t dwell on past  Paraphrase, summarize, put it down on paper!